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Gaming cards and method for use and distributed network gaming management

Gaming cards and method for use and distributed network gaming management description/claims

This application claims the benefit of and priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Patent Application No. 60/690,888, filed Jun. 16, 2005, entitled “Gaming Cards and Method for Use and Distributed Network Gaming Management,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Role playing games (RPG's) are games in which players typically assume the role of characters and work in collaboration through a series of challenges in an imaginary world. Game play is governed by a set of rules and within the bounds of those rules, players can regulate and direct the direction of the game. For example, rules such as those in the open d20® SRD, (System Reference Document, by Wizards of the Coast®) or the d20 3 or 3.5 versions of the “Players Handbook” or “The Dungeon Master's Guide” also by Wizards of the Coast, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, can be used as a basis for governing game play. It is to be appreciated that in general however any rules, rule set or attributes can be used with this invention. Also, any references to SRD may also refer to the Players Handbook or The Dungeon Master's Guide.

These rules, or game mechanics as they are commonly known, typically require oversight by a game master or game manager who manages one or more game sessions and acts as the arbitrator for rules interpretation. In addition to a game manager, participants play inhabitants of the game setting known as “player characters” which, due to the collaborative nature of role playing games, typically form into a party. In addition to player characters, a game environment typically includes non-player characters that are also present in the gaming world and are typically controlled by the game manager. A typical game session contains activities such as negotiation, puzzle solving, investigating objects, combat, wealth management, confrontation, or the like. To determine the outcome of any one or more of these actions, the games typically use weighted statistics and dice rolls to decide the outcome of a particular action.

While the majority of role playing games are more traditional pen and paper type games, there also exist computer-assisted role playing games and internet role playing games that can range in complexity from simple text-based games to graphically intensive games to massive multiplayer on-line real-time role playing games (MMORPG's).

Exemplary aspects of this invention relate to gaming. More particular aspects of the invention relate to modeling or simulating the investigation of complex objects, such as objects or artifacts with consequences based on the investigation.

Further exemplary aspects of the invention relate to interactive cards that relate to the investigated objects. These cards include information relating to the usage of the discovered object(s) as well as provide a method whereby the cards can interact.

Still further aspects of the invention relate to a gaming system allowing a game manager to manage and run a game and adjudicate all player characters with the ability to control the game and game play for all players from a centralized command facility.

Another exemplary aspect of this invention relates to an on-line computer-based role-playing game with a game manager, which is a real person, that can oversee and perhaps even cooperate with, computer-based game management.

For example, typical on-line computer role-playing games are played in a virtual world where all play is managed by computer-based rules and actions either allowed or disallowed based on a computer's determination of whether the action is within the rule set.

Aspects of the invention thus relate to human managed game play in a networked computer environment.

Additional exemplary aspects of the invention relate to on-line game creation, management, modification and adjudication by a game manager.

Still further aspects of the invention relate to providing the necessary tools, rules and game playing management tools to allow a game manager to regulate an on-line game having one or more players.

Additional exemplary aspects of the invention relate to interactive playing cards.

Further exemplary aspects of the invention relate to interactive playing cards having one or more windows therein, the windows allowing information on adjacent cards to be viewed through the window.

Still further aspects of the invention relate to interactive playing cards having a first, generalized set of information on a first side, and a second, specific set of information on a second side.

Yet another exemplary aspect of the invention relates to a business model wherein a business licenses to individual game managers a copy of software, and then those game managers find players to play player characters in their virtual world, controlled through the Game Manager software system defined herein, and charge those players to play, a portion of the payment being collected by, for example, the licensing business that owns the software.

These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments.

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